


untitled

by oudkee



Category: Original Work, Star Trek
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27322069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oudkee/pseuds/oudkee
Summary: These are the adventures of Captain Kallas and her crew of Starfleet rejects who were never given the chance to serve on a ship before, due to being unfairly judged by other captains and admirals. this is a massive work in progress about my star trek ocs and i'll likely change a thousand little things over the course of time (including the title obviously) but i hope others enjoy my efforts
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	untitled

**Author's Note:**

> mentions of pregnancy and murder in this episode, nothing graphic. no i didn't proofread this i might later
> 
> here's some info about my ocs as well as their design refs https://gelnon.tumblr.com/post/631717749158281216/

Zarel Lejan was a Trill diplomat, stoic and disciplined, studying and training his entire life to become an important figure regarding Federation relations, and spent the first twenty-five years of his life dedicated to obtaining as much knowledge as he possibly could. During his first starship posting, he had been promoted to Lt. Commander, and his second posting he'd made Commander. Upon returning from his second posting, he had seen the most beautiful person he'd seen in all of his lives - even the symbiont inside of him seemed to tingle. He'd laid eyes upon Qadira Noorani, her smiling face covered in freckles that reminded him of the stars, far more beautiful than the spots most Trill had. He introduced himself, and they quickly sparked a friendship and a whirlwind romance. After the Dominion War had ended, they married. They'd risked their careers by getting married, and even more so by swearing to serve on the same ship - it had been five years since either of them had an assignment. Suddenly one day, a transmission from Starfleet Headquarters came through - a captain had a new ship and was given special permission to put together whatever kind of people they liked for a crew - and they had heard about the Lejans' request. The couple was overjoyed! They accepted immediately and head out to San Francisco to fill out the paperwork required for sending an important diplomat on such a lengthy, distant mission.

The ship, one brand new Nova-class _U.S.S. Saaremaa_ , was a science ship headed for the distant reaches of the Beta Quadrant to aid in more detailed mapping than had been achieved in the last couple of centuries. Qadira was wanted for her engineering skills, and Zarel was needed as an important liaison to establish contact with any previously unknown Beta Quadrant species. Qadira's eyes lit up as their shuttle approached the ship for boarding, and she held her husband's strong arm so tightly he felt it numb - but he said nothing, for anything was worth seeing his wife this excited and happy.

He found it odd that they still hadn't met the _Saaremaa_ 's captain yet. Who was this mysterious person that had finally chosen both him and his wife for such an important mission? If they were given freedom to assemble whatever crew they pleased, what other kinds of people were going to be on the ship?

The shuttle pulled up to the docking bay far ahead of schedule. The Lejans curiously boarded and had their belongings transported to their quarters and arranged, then decided to take a peek at the bridge. The turbolift doors parted, and the sight and sound they were greeted with was no less than surprising. The comm speakers played old Earth music at full volume - music Zarel recognized as being Abba - and twin children with long, light golden hair and Starfleet uniforms were doing cartwheels, somersaults, bouts of kickboxing, shouting and laughing! The Lejans stood there for a moment, unsure of how to react, when Zarel suddenly stepped forward.

"Computer, stop music! I demand to know what's going on up here!"

"Oh, _shit_!" yelped one of the children, the one wearing a red uniform. She jumped up, trying to compose herself, as the other girl's expression went completely blank. "Haha! This probably looks weird! Um, we were just breaking in the bridge before anyone else had a chance to." She approached the tall Trill and his wife, and their mouths fell open when they noticed the four pips on her collar. She thrust her hand forward, her forest green eyes gleaming with a childlike wonder. "I'm Captain Silja Kallas!"

"...Zarel Lejan. You're a bit young to be a captain."  
"I'm thirty!"  
"...And I suppose that girl in the gold uniform is your sister?"  
The other 'girl' frowned. "No, that's my older twin brother, Sulev! He may seem dainty, but I wouldn't make him Chief of Security if he couldn't fight." His expression had been a stoic deadpan since he realized he and his sister weren't the only ones in the room. He bowed towards the Lejans, saying nothing.

"Um..." Silja stuttered, turning and walking around the Bridge, looking for something. Her eyes scanned the floor until she spotted something under one of the chairs. "Here it is!" she exclaimed, picking it up. It was a long green ribbon, and she proceeded to tie her hair into a neat bun. "We got into a tussle, and my hair came undone. Haha!"

Qadira grinned, tugging at her husband's sleeve. "These two are going to be so much fun!" she said under her breath.

"I don't know if 'fun' was the word I was thinking of."

~

"So, you're the first officer I requested! When I heard your story about how you wanted to be posted with your wife, I was soooo touched! If I could, I'd want my boyfriend to be with me on every mission!"

Silja sat in the captain's chair, her brother standing by her side, quietly analyzing the Lejans, particularly Zarel. The Trill man was fit and toned, and it showed underneath his uniform. Sulev was looking him over until he met eyes with Zarel, then quickly averted his gaze. Zarel didn't want to appear rude towards his new captain or her brother. He wanted so badly to ask how she got promoted this high up the ladder by age thirty, especially with how informal and unprofessional she had been thus far. He attempted to compromise with a more vague question.

"What kind of, um, who are the rest of the senior staff?"  
"Oh! Uh... I've got a brilliant stellar cartographer, this cute Bajoran lady, you two, my brother... and my secret weapon, the CMO!"  
"Secret weapon?" the Lejans spoke in unison.  
Sulev frowned. "Don't talk about him like that," he muttered in a surprisingly deep voice for such a short boy, in an accent Zarel couldn't quite place. "You're so shameless."  
Silja burst into laughter. "You've just got to meet these guys to understand! Honestly, you two are the only members of my senior staff I haven't met before handing out assignments. So, tell me." She folded her hands under her chin, narrowing her gaze. "What are you looking for?"

Looking for? What a weird question. Neither of them knew how to answer, looking at each other with confusion.  
"Already found it in each other? Aww, I don't think you have."

Silja got up from her chair and began pacing around the Bridge, her hands folded behind her back. "Life is an endless search for something or another. If you find it, you stop. If not, you keep looking. Simple as that." With one finger, she traced the edge of the LCARS panels on the consoles against the walls. "If either of you were completely satisfied with your lives, you'd have settled down by now. Get a cozy little room on Deep Space Nine and eke out the rest of your little lives, full of love and free of cares. But, you're here. With me. And we're going to the Beta Quadrant." She stopped pacing and looked out the giant window at the interior of the docking bay. "I don't know what I'm looking for. But I'm going to find it out there. And I'm going to help every member of this crew find something out there. Maybe it's a meaningless ambition to have. I already know the higher-ups at Starfleet think I'm insane. The admirals want me out of their hair! Oh Silja, you can have your own little ship! Just go away!" She laughed, but this time it sounded hollow. 

"I'm not looking for a way to prove myself. I suppose... maybe I'm looking for a way to help the marginalized prove themselves." She sighed, turning away from the window, starting towards her ready room, gesturing for her brother to follow. "You'll see what I mean when you meet everyone else. Please return to your quarters until we prepare to embark."

The ready room door shut behind the twins.

~

"Well... she sure is different!" Qadira spoke, breaking the silence between her and her husband. She shuffled around their quarters, unpacking laundry while Zarel looked over a PADD, trying to gather as much information on this crazy captain as he could. "Different..." he began, trailing off. He shook his head and closed his eyes, leaning his head back. "Different would be a Vorta in Starfleet, or a Bajoran girl who only goes for Cardassians, or... a Ferengi CMO."

"A Ferengi CMO?"  
"That'll be three slips of latinum for the procedure, and another five if you want to keep your other arm."  
Qadira giggled. "It's just like you to fall into stereotypes, Zarel 'I've never been a man before' Lejan."  
"All three of my symbiont's lives have been women, so I have those memories. I've known young girls as much as I've known what it's like to be a young girl. And I know that this girl is simply out of her mind."  
Qadira sighed as she finished sorting the last drawer, shutting it. "She's young and she seems inexperienced. But... the way she went on about 'searching' for something... I don't know. She seems wise."  
"Wise, huh..." Zarel repeated.

A voice came over the ship's intercom. "This is Captain Silja Kallas. All senior staff, please report to the Bridge."

"Guess that's us," Qadira smiled. "You've got me hoping we see a Vorta in Starfleet today."

~

The turbolift doors opened on the bridge once more, and the Lejans were ordered to take their positions. Qadira found an unmanned comm, and Zarel made his way down to the chair next to the captain's. He looked over to his right, and saw a tall, pale man with bright purple eyes shyly looking up at him. _There's your 'Vorta in Starfleet', dear..._ he thought to himself.

Among the Bridge crew were the tall, lanky Vorta wearing a science uniform, a slender Vulcan communications officer of indeterminate gender, Qadira, the captain, and himself. Sulev was helping a curvy Cardassian security girl look over the layout of the ship. No one else was really talking amongst each other, as if they didn't know each other at all - common for a new posting, but things weren't usually this quiet. The turbolift opened again, and a sleepy Bajoran girl stumbled out with a huge yawn, followed by a Ferengi in a doctor's coat. How ironic, Zarel thought.

"Venny!" the captain exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and running up to the Ferengi. The two kissed and kissed, perhaps a lot longer than would seem professional in any way. Silja pulled away from the kiss blushing profusely, and they held each other laughing, like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. The Bajoran girl found her way to the chair opposite Zarel's, regarded him for a moment, then plopped herself down, laid her head back, and closed her eyes.

"Everyone, this is our Chief Medical Officer, Venik." she began, looking in his eyes and giggling. "Um, we haven't seen each other in years... I guess the flame is a bit stronger than I remembered. We went through the Academy together, and he helped me through something really tough... but no Starfleet captain wanted a Ferengi on their medical staff, so I returned the favour." She left his embrace, trying not to meet anyone's eyes. Venik nodded and made his way over to the Vorta's console, and the Vorta eyed the Ferengi with a look Zarel couldn't determine.

"And this sleepy lady is the ship's counselor! Her name is Feya Amarel and she is the most patient lady you'll ever meet!"

_Yeah, because she probably sleeps through anything you'd tell her._

"Hello, everyone." Feya greeted without opening her eyes. "I can't wait to meet all of you. I'm just saving energy..."

"If this is what we've got for senior medical officers, I don't know if we're going to make it back." Zarel muttered under his breath. The Vorta looked over at him, doing that characteristic little head tilt they always seemed to do. He seemed to want to say something, but held back.

"Okay!" Silja clapped her hands together and made her way back down to her chair. "Let's roll!"

"...'Roll', sir?"

"You know, let's move out! Let's get this show on the road! Bye bye, Earth! What do you say, Number One?"

Zarel rose from his seat, stranding straight as a board and folding his hands behind his back. "You all heard the captain. Prepare to engage the impulse thrusters."

~

Later that night, the whole senior staff was invited to their own celebratory dinner. Zarel loved watching his wife touch up her makeup and re-pin her hijab. He himself didn't put much stock into getting ready to go anywhere, save for choosing a pair of gold hoop earrings to wear - he had inherited several sets from his second host. Her wish was to pass on all of her jewelry to each new host, and he planned to ensure it went to whoever hosted the Lejan symbiont next. He always wore a pair of gold hoops no matter the occasion, as did his previous host. He had tons of bracelets and necklaces and other things but didn't particularly wear them much, so he let Qadira borrow a bracelet or two whenever she was in the mood to spruce up an outfit.

The two made their way to the ship's Mess Hall, reserved for two hours that night only to the senior staff. They once again were the first to arrive besides the captain and her brother. They took their assigned seats next to each other, Qadira sitting next to Feya and Zarel being seated next to someone named 'Miros'. Silja beamed at the two and Sulev regarded them as well, a hint of a smile on his face. After a few moments, the rest of the senior staff trickled in, and Zarel learned that 'Miros' was the tall Vorta he had seen earlier. They greeted each other with a simple "Hello". Zarel asked how his day was to be polite, to which Miros simply replied "It's just nice to be here." Miros' voice surprised Zarel, he expected such a tall, intimidating Dominion drug dealer to have a much deeper, rougher voice. But his voice was smooth and light, monotonous yet soft spoken.

Qadira and Feya hit it off right away, finding they had all kinds of things in common between Feya's Bajoran culture and Qadira's own Pakistani culture. Feya was not spiritual and chose not to wear the earring most Bajorans did, and seemed intrigued by Zarel's own earrings. She leaned forward in her chair to meet his eyes. "Hey, why d'you wear those earrings? I saw you had them on earlier."

"I wear them because my previous hosts did."  
"Ahh..." Feya seemed to think about this for a moment. "Don't Trill have something about that? Not re-associating with their past lives?"  
"That's more regarding relationships. Personal belongings and habits are different."  
"Oh, okay."

Qadira giggled. "My husband is... quite straightforward." she looked back at him, who had gone back to eating. "I'm going to miss you while I'm in Engineering." He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

Venik sat across from Miros, and the two seemed to have an unspoken connection. Venik was joking and talking with Silja and Feya through most of the meal, but in between conversations he'd stop to look up at Miros, as if to make sure he was still there. Miros had said nothing to anyone else besides Zarel the entire meal. The Trill just couldn't seem to figure these two out... what were they up to? The way they moved and looked at each other seemed suspicious.

~

The next day, the entire crew was subject to an exam by the CMO and a quick check-in with the ship's counselor. "L" wasn't very far down the list on a crew of only 75 people, so the Lejans went in fairly early, right after the Kallas twins. Zarel watched the doctor's movements, the way he shuffled around, hands in his coat pockets... it seemed so suspicious, like he was looking for something to pocket. Zarel had about as much trust in Ferengi as he did in Vorta, which was to say he had none at all. Venik entered some information into the panel on the wall, then looked back at Zarel. For a moment, he said nothing, his face expressionless, then a wide grin crept onto his face. "Everything checks out. You're good to go."

"What's a Ferengi doing as a ship's doctor?"  
"My lifelong dream ever since I was a boy was to help people, free of charge. Ferengi healthcare is an expensive business," he began. "I wanted no part of that. Money is dirty. It isn't sterile."

"Then why are you in cahoots with that Vorta? I've seen the way you look at him, the way you always seem to hang around him."  
"C-cahoots?" Venik stuttered. "Commander, I have no idea what you're on about."  
"Don't play dumb. You Ferengi are all alike in one way or another. You're doing something for the Dominion, I can sense it."  
"...I think you need your senses checked, Commander. What's between Miros and myself is frankly none of your business."  
"I can make it my business!" Zarel stood up, towering over the Ferengi. "Just because you're the captain's boyfriend doesn't mean you're in the clear. If I see anything suspicious between you and that Vorta, I have no hesitations. I'll report it to Starfleet."

"...You can't! Starfleet can't know about us!" Venik pleaded.

Zarel stormed out of the sickbay. Miros was standing in the hall, patiently waiting his turn. He looked at Zarel with those unnerving purple eyes, tilting his head to one side.

~

That evening, Qadira was putting on her makeup to get ready for her first shift in Engineering. She'd always had a weird sleep schedule and the captain was happy to fit her into a late night shift. Zarel had no interest in watching his wife get ready, he was still steaming from the thought of that Ferengi and that Vorta spying for information.

"Dear, what's wrong? It's not like you to lay down this early in the evening."  
"I'm bothered by Venik and that Vorta."  
"Why's that?"  
Zarel furrowed his brow. "I have a hunch they're spying for the Dominion."  
Qadira frowned. "I can see how that would be a likely assumption to make. I get where you're coming from, but you barely know them. Give them some space."  
"That Vorta told me that 'it's just nice to be here'. Why's that? Why so vague?"  
"He has a name. His name is Miros. He may be an Ensign fresh out of the Academy, but he's a member of this crew just like you and me." Qadira stood up and put her hands on her hips, and Zarel knew he was in for a lecture. "I know you're afraid of the unknown. I know you're especially afraid of other men. That's fine. What's not fine is these two nice, young men having to suffer from your illusion that they absolutely have to be the bad guys in your narrative. You barely even know them! ...I'm sure I could be wrong, and you could be right about them being spies. But, then why would they each spend four years at the Academy, with several witnesses? Why not just falsify records?"

The comm chimed. "First Officer Lejan to my ready room, _immediately._ " The tone in Silja's voice was not her usual cheery one Zarel recognized from the last couple of days. Qadira's words began to sink in. Maybe he had been too quick to leap to his judgmental tendencies.

"I love you, Zarel," Qadira grabbed her toolkit on her way out the door. "But please, have a little compassion for these people. You don't know what they've been through to get here." And with that, she left. Zarel ran his fingers through his hair and tugged his boots back on to go see what Captain Kallas wanted.

~

Zarel arrived on the bridge, scanning the room. Sulev was in the captain's chair, turning to look up at whoever had entered the bridge. He only said one thing. "She's angry."

The Trill had dealt with angry captains and even angry admirals before, though admittedly he'd never been the sole subject of the anger. His symbiont nearly did a flip at the thought of this petit, feral woman being angry, but what's the worst she could possibly do in her anger? ...Maybe it was best not to overthink it. He entered her ready room.

She looked up at him, a glare he never thought he'd see on such a cheery girl like herself. "So, I heard from Venny that you've got a problem with him being on this ship. Something about how he and Miros are working for the Dominion. Do you know what a risky assumption that is for a senior staff member to make about someone before you even have half of the facts?" She didn't wait for a response. "That's right, you don't."

Silja got up and walked towards the window in her ready room. She was breathing deeply, clearly trying to calm herself instead of lashing out. "One assumption you may have made would be correct. I love Ferengi men. Off the record, though I'm sure others could figure it out... I have a bit of a fetish for them." She whirled back around to face Zarel. "And don't think it hasn't gotten me into trouble. Don't think I've never bitten off more than I could chew."

She looked down, studying the pattern on the carpet, seeming at a loss for how to say this. "My brother and I used to live way out on Deep Space Nine. A lot of Ferengi came and went over the years... until this one boyfriend I had got me pregnant. Sulev and I were already thinking of joining Starfleet at the time and had a referral from the station's captain himself. I went out and told my boyfriend I wanted to marry him before I told him I was carrying his child, and he said he wanted nothing to do with a 'dumb hu-mon' like me, even if he ever got me knocked up." An almost pitiful expression crossed her face. "I still loved him so much, though. He's still the most handsome Ferengi I've ever met." She gulped and looked away, trying to swallow back tears.

"My brother and I quietly packed up and left the station immediately. At the Academy, I met Venik and we started a relationship. I eventually told him about the baby and we passed it off as his to everyone else, and now he lives on Ferenginar with Venik's family." She smiled for a moment, thinking about her child. Walking back to sit down at her desk again, her voice softened. "Please don't think Venik is some spy with bad intentions. He could never tell you any of this himself because he's a doctor. And there's something else he could never tell you or anyone else in Starfleet, but the rest of this ship is bound to figure out."

She narrowed her gaze at Zarel much as she had yesterday, though this time without Qadira or Sulev in the room. Zarel almost felt naked caught within this girl's piercing gaze. "Venik is the only person in Starfleet to have perfected the delicate Vorta cloning technology. He was Miros's only friend in the Academy, and they have an unbreakable bond. Miros is a defective who vividly remembers all the ways he was murdered during his Dominion days. And Zarel, I've read your file so I know you can relate."

She was right. Tala Lejan, an extremely famous Trill pop star had been brutally murdered by an obsessive fan. Elara Lejan, an important diplomat and Zarel's mentor, had been intentionally drowned during a visit to the symbiont pools. He knew a thing or two about remembering the times he'd been murdered.

"Captain, I understand and I apologize for my behaviour."  
"I'm not the one that needs to hear that. Number One, my personal mission is to wholeheartedly trust and believe in every member of my crew. I can't imagine brilliant, average Starfleet personnel like you and your wife have ever truly been mistreated or looked down upon, but the rest of this crew is Starfleet personnel who has never been given a first chance due to other peoples' judgment. I went out of my way to make sure I could give that chance, that push, to see what these people were really capable of. If all they're searching for is a way to prove to others that they can be a celebrated member of Starfleet, then I've succeeded." She sat back in her chair.

"And one more thing... The only reason you're my first officer is because you and your wife's request stood out to me as something that was being ignored. The _Saaremaa_ isn't on a deadline, so if you like, I can turn this ship around and easily find a replacement for each of you. You can't even hope to imagine how many ostracized Academy graduates are out there, wishing for their chance to so much as serve on the lower decks of a starship."

"...Thank you, Captain Kallas."

She smiled. "Dismissed."

~

Zarel went back down the corridor towards sickbay to apologize to Venik. He was running through what he was about to say over and over in his head. He'd thought enough about what Silja had said and decided any Ferengi willing to go out of his way to help a human carrying someone else's kid, _and_ a Vorta, was a Ferengi worth trusting. Approaching the bay, he heard some suspicious scuffling followed by a thud, and what sounded like a muffled groan. He listened with his back against the wall for a moment, before walking past the door's motion sensor and stepping inside the dimly lit sickbay.

"Computer, lights!"

The lights flicked on, and there was Miros being straddled by Venik, the two blushing profusely. They were fully clothed, but there was no question about it - things had been getting hot and heavy. Seconds felt like hours as the deafening silence between the three men filled the room. Zarel finally gathered the courage to speak.

"...I'm sorry for intruding. I understand everything now."

...and with that, he hurried back down the hall.

~


End file.
